The Way I Loved You by Fiona Lucas

Mar11

Take A Chance On Love

The Way I Loved You by Fiona Lucas is a most delightful contemporary novel that I savoured. I never wanted it to end.

This is a beautifully written novel about love. It is a unique tale, a sliding doors moment as a character gets to re-live her wedding anniversaries up to her disastrous tenth one. Along the way she learns what is really important; and how to listen and make memories that count. Instead of her marriage imploding, there is a chance to fix it.

The leading lady had a tempestuous childhood. We understand her feelings of anxiety, and her desire to withdraw rather than get hurt. “It’s easier not to hope, it’s exhausting to wait and believe.” But love is worth taking a risk because when it succeeds, it is beautiful.

We witness the importance of talking. If we clam up, how will others know what we are feeling?

We need to give others wings to fly, and not throttle the life out of them. “Maybe I need to not hold Luke so tightly because I’m scared of losing him. Maybe I need to let him fly, chase his dreams.”

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Jackal by Michael J Webb

Mar10

Spiritual Battles

Jackal by Michael Jack Webb is a Christian fantasy suspense that will grip you from the start. It is the second book in The Justice Chronicles but can be read as a stand-alone. I enjoyed meeting up with familiar faces.

Life is a spiritual battle. There are more forces around us than what we can see and hear.

Within the tale, the forces of evil try to outwit the good. God asks us to trust Him. If we call on His Name, we will be saved. For at His Name, the demons will flee.

The reader travels to Egypt. Though the story is set in present day, we hear of the ancient artefacts, customs and gods.

The leading character is very perceptive, having vivid dreams that need interpreting.

Michael Jack Webb has clearly well researched ancient Egypt as we become immersed in that unfamiliar world.

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The Last Train Home by Marion Kummerow

Mar9

Loving Bonds

The Last Train Home by Marion Kummerow is a powerful historical novel that consumed me from the start.

The action is set in Germany at the start of World War II. This book is all about the disgusting treatment of the Roma people following on from the Nuremburg race laws of 1938. The “gypsy had lost their citizenship and had effectively become a people without civil rights.”

We follow two characters from two different families. One is an orphaned teenage girl, and the other is a father separated from his wife and son by war. Bit by bit their civil liberties are eroded – and still, there are characters who are believing that something better will happen next.

There were some very difficult to read scenes, especially where the Roma were being ‘examined’ by the doctors who were brutal. “The doctors… rose like lions circling their prey.” The people felt vulnerable and exposed.

Eventually the Roma end up in the camps. Every action by the Nazis is designed for maximum cruelty. Newcomers are given a “survival strategy: avoid trouble, don’t stand out, don’t be remembered, and never be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

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Meet Me At The Starlight by Rachel Hauck

Mar8

Immanuel God With Us

Meet Me At The Starlight by Rachel Hauck is a powerful and beautiful Christian dual timeline novel that I adored from the start.

The novel is set during the Depression of the 1930’s and in 1987 in Sea Blue Beach as we follow lead character Tuesday Knight in both periods – as a young mother, and then an old grandmother. She is the owner of the Starlight skating rink.

The Starlight skating rink is very much a character in its’ own right. It is the place where life happens from the 1880’s when Prince Blue encountered Immanuel after a shipwreck on Sea Blue Beach. Prince Blue had the rink built and had a giant mural of Immanuel painted on a wall, looking down over the people.

Immanuel is not just a painting. He meets people just when they need Him. “He was more alive than anyone she’d ever known.” He breaks bread, cooks fish, and imparts His Presence into hearts. “You saw God and He left you a piece of heaven.”

Lead character, Tuesday, was shown kindness by Prince Blue when she was down on her luck. She now helps others in need, with the one request – that they pay-it-forward when they can.

When the Starlight is threatened with demolition, people step forward as they want to save it. Tuesday believes “I know I can trust Him [God]. If He doesn’t save us, He must have a better plan.” Sometimes we have to trust God in the dark. Hold on, hope is coming. “We’ve seen what man can do, now let’s see what God can do.” God’s best is more than we could ever hope for.

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